JustTooFarr wrote:
Chad, Curious to see your opinion on incorporating outdoor rides.
First- I am trying to decide a strategy for incorporating outdoor rides to my plan in the coming months. I am finishing up Sustained power build (Low Volume) in two weeks, going to be starting Full Distance Tri power build (mid volume). I see three options-
1- do the long Saturday rides every other week(weeks1,3,5,7) outside
2- do the mid range aerobic endurance rides every other week (weeks 2,4, 6,8) outside
3- do the weekly brick ride outside.
for time purposes I am leaning toward option 1 or 2, but would like to get your thoughts on the most effective manner.
Thanks
Great timing! We just discussed this on the podcast so I'll say now what I said then. I honestly expect nearly all riders to do anything over 4 hours (even 3) outdoors. That's not to say you have to, just that I'm really impressed/terrified by
anyone who can do steady-state, aerobic work for so many hours on end.
The upside is that they're getting probably 1.5x the outdoor quality when they ride indoors, but the downside is well, that's a
long time to ride indoors. So for instance, I've scheduled some 5- and even 6-hour rides in the upcoming Tri Specialty Full-Distance (high-volume) plans, but I don't really expect anyone to ride indoors for 6 straight hours unless they're chasing a 9-hour bike split.
So in the case of a triathlete going after a 6-hour bike split, 4 hours on the trainer with no breaks will put you in the same realm of stress as what you'd likely face during a 6-hour outdoor bike leg.
Short of this is that using those long, weekend rides to get outdoors is a good idea on several levels but not requisite. My view on this has always been, "Train quality indoors, train quantity outdoors", because even though I'm potentially the single biggest advocate for indoor training, I still recognize all the benefit, enjoyment and variety that outdoor riding provides.
Then with the shorter rides, you just have to decide how high you can keep the quality should you decide to do them outdoors - pretty easy with Endurance & Tempo rides, increasingly difficult as you ascend into Sweet Spot & higher territory.
Head Coach at TrainerRoad
Co-host of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast